BATON ROUGE — The men’s tennis match Wednesday between LSU and Tulane at W.T. Robinson Stadium at 4 p.m. could be one of the most significant in the rivalry’s 76-year history.
The No. 16-ranked Tigers (16-7, 4-6 SEC) and the No. 17-ranked Green Wave (18-4) are looking ahead to the NCAA tournament, where both teams are on the fringes of hosting the first and second rounds. The top-16 teams receive NCAA bids.
“This match has national implications for both teams in the postseason,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown.
LSU has not hosted the match since 2000, when they won, 7-0. Brown said he expects a large crowd of fans from both teams.
Both teams could rise in the rankings when they are released this afternoon.
LSU has the opportunity to avenge a loss they suffered last season in New Orleans that broke an 81-match winning streak against in-state opponents.
“This match is very competitive now because Tulane has built their program up,” Brown said.
LSU enters the contest on a three-match winning streak. It is the Tigers’ third match in six days after beating Auburn and Alabama last weekend. They play again on Saturday against Auburn.
The Tigers have dominated the doubles points recently, winning all the completed matches in their three most recent wins.
They have won the doubles point eight times in a row, every match since using their current lineup. The seventh-ranked pair of Mark Growcott and Ken Skupski have won six matches in a row on court one. Colt Gaston and Danny Bryan are 7-0 in dual matches in the second doubles position. Jason Hazley and Peter Richman, the court three duo, are 4-1.
Tulane brings a talented lineup starring senior Dimitry Koch. They have won 12 of their last 13 matches.
It is the next-to-last chance this season for fans to see LSU, who will end their regular season Saturday.